Fourth Week of November

Several tomato plants are starting to produce fruit. Most of the beanstalks now have pods growing. The basil and aubergine seedlings are making some progress.

The weather turned a bit nasty this week, ending with a mini-heatwave. Today is the fourth consecutive day of temperatures in the mid-30s (centigrade), and it's not even officially summer yet! Hopefully the cool change predicted for tomorrow evening comes in. I've had to give the plants a thorough watering every evening. Luckily I have a large rainwater tank to reduce the need for mains water. I hooked up a standard hose fitting to the tank's tap and the water pressure is good enough to water the plants.

To protect the tomato plants from the sun's harsh rays I've put up some shadecloth. Coincidentally, I was watching The Godfather on DVD on Wednesday, and late in the movie there's a scene where the Don is playing with his grandson among tomato plants in the garden. What looked like old bed sheets were nailed to the stakes to protect the Don's tomato plants from the sun. In my case I draped some old lace curtains over the tomatoes and fixed to the tops of stakes. Shade from nearby fruit trees provides some respite for the other plants.

This week I will probably get some straw to use as mulch. Admittedly I don't remember my father ever using mulch, and my uncle hasn't mentioned it either. But I'll start using some to help maintain the moisture level during what could be a very hot summer. Mulch should also help prevent weeds growing around the plants.

Friday night I gave all the plants another feed of seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 10)
The beans (week 8)
Bean pods growing (week 8)
The aubergines/eggplants/melanzane (week 4 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 3 after transplanting)